Alphabet One-shots
by fieryday
Summary: A series of self-contained, unrelated one-shots focused around the Batfamily. These one-shots will not be in alphabetical order, sorry. The rating will vary by chapter, but none will be above Teen rating.
1. C is for Color

**_Disclaimer: I do not own these characters nor am I making money from them. This is merely for entertainment. The characters belong to their respective owners._**

**_Also, the colors that I picked are merely my headcanon. I'm not saying that in actual canon this is true; merely something that I think makes sense in my little world of Batman. _**

**_Rating: K+_**

**Bruce**

No one could tell what Bruce's favorite color was. People might guess navy, as he preferred to wear navy suits to work; others may say with certainty black for obvious reasons. They would all be wrong. Bruce's favorite color is a light, almost pastel, purple. His mother had a silk robe of the color that she would wear down to breakfast every morning. She would wear it when she went to check his room if he had a nightmare. When she and his father died, he had part of the robe made into a tie that he only ever wore on her birthday.

**Dick**

Dick wore a rainbow's worth of color on any given day. It would be hard to tell if he even had a favorite color. Close friends may suggest red for his love of redheads or the electric blue of his Nightwing suit. But, while being some of his top favorite colors, they were not number one. Dick's favorite color could be called the most boring color, gray. Gray was the color of his oldest friend, Zitka the elephant. It was a color that represented family and the circus. Gray was the color that reminded him of simpler, happier times. When he first moved into Wayne Manor, his stuffed, gray elephant brought him comfort from his nightmares because he was too scared to go to Bruce.

**Jason**

Jason for the longest time did not have a favorite color. When living in poverty and on the streets, gray is the color that is everywhere. Jason's whole existence seemed gray and he hated it. Jason learned to like red when he became Robin. Red was the color of hope in his eyes and the complete opposite of gray. But then Jason died. Red became the color of the blood of criminals and of himself. He couldn't get away from red, and so red became as omnipresent as the gray of his early childhood. Jason learned to like a new color, tan. Tan was the color of the desert where he had been brought out of catatonia. Tan was the color of the perfect pancakes that Alfred would make. Tan was the color of Bruce's hand when he placed it on his shoulder.

**Tim**

Tim would say that he didn't have a favorite color. Color was just the way light particles reflected off an object or a certain wavelength of the visible light spectrum. Tim would say that he had a preference for the color red. Red was more than just the color of blood or Robin to Tim. Red was the color of his mother's favorite lipstick that she always wore when going to a gala or other society thing. Before leaving, she would always press a kiss to Tim's cheek leaving a red kiss mark. Tim keeps a tube of the lipstick in a box on his desk along with other mementos of his parents.

**Cassandra**

Cassandra didn't know what color was for the longest time. She didn't know how to describe color. There was no need to learn what color was when she lived with her father. To this day, she still has trouble classifying and differentiating colors. If she had to pick a color, though, it would be the color of ballet shoes. The color is gracefulness with strength. A story told mainly in movement. A freedom to choose something that is nondestructive.

**Damian**

Damian does not need to have a preference for color according to himself. No matter what Richard said. Damian held every color equal because there was no need to have a preference of one over the other. It seemed like such a childish thing. Never mind the fact that he always felt a bit calmer when he looked at the color cream. It would remind him of a blank page of his drawing notebook. He had never needed to learn how to draw; his mother saw it as something that could become an asset so never discouraged him. She merely told him to be the best at everything that he did. The cream of the notebook was something he chose for himself at a time when he had very little in the way of choices.

_**A/N: If you feel like you've seen this before it may be because this is also posted on my AO3 account. **_

_**Constructive criticism and comments are always welcomed.**_


	2. I is for Imposter

**Disclaimer: The recognizable DC characters are not mine. I am only writing this for entertainment and am not making any money on it.**

Zane Rogers had been working for the Red Hood since he had come to Gotham. He was one of three men who worked directly under Red Hood, and was in charge of planning and resource distribution and management. Zane met with Boss at least once or twice a week to get orders and report the state of the business. It was always a fairly short meeting as Boss made certain that his men were competent, even those on the bottom of the ladder.

Zane had probably worked with Red Hood the longest out of any other members in Boss's crew. The previous financial head had tried to embezzle money from the gang and had promptly ended up with a bullet in the head, shot execution style. This longevity enabled Zane to say that he knew some of the personal tics Red Hood had. Such as the fact that he never went anywhere without at least two guns and three knives. Boss hated wines except for dry reds. On days when he was most anxious, he smoked at least half a pack of cigarettes.

All of these things led Zane to the conclusion that the man in front of him right now was not Red Hood. The person in front of him was just and inch or two shy of reaching the six foot three height of the infamous crime lord. The imposter was also not as solidly built. Sure, they had some impressive muscle, but Boss could give Batman a run for his money on muscle mass. A couple other things gave it away, like the fact that the helmet was too long, Boss's favorite knife was missing, and the slightly smaller boot size. This person could pass as the crime lord to the newbies and people who didn't interact with him, but Zane could spot this fake from a mile away.

But the boss had mentioned that he was to ignore any discrepancies tonight. Including the fact that it may not be Boss under the red helmet. There was an important deal that was going down tonight, but as far as Zane knew the real Red Hood was out of the country. Boss must have arranged something with this fake in order to have the deal go through. This just left the question of who was under the mask.

The car that Zane and the imposter were in pulled up to the abandoned warehouse on neutral ground that they were using to conduct the meeting. The whole ride over had been filled with a tense silence. The imposter held himself rigid in his seat, obviously uncomfortable. Joe Garr, the head of security, and his team had already been on location for two hours to sweep and secure the area. Joe jogged to meet them as they stepped out of the car. Based on his raised eyebrows, he also noticed that this Red Hood was an imposter.

"My men and I haven't found anything to be concerned about. We scared away a couple of homeless that were loitering around but there haven't been any signs of Bats, psychos, or any other gang," Joe reported.

"Good. Let's go inside," the imposter stated striding past and into the warehouse. Apparently, this Red Hood was more talkative. The real Red Hood would have just nodded or grunted before going inside, leaving them to follow after. At least the voice modulator made sure the voice would be the same, but there seemed to be some level of weariness that slipped through anyways.

Inside the warehouse there was a single table with two chairs on either side. The imposter was sat stiffly in one of the chairs and looking at a tablet one of the members had given. The men had already noticed something off and were looking at each other a little leery. It was going to be a hell of a night if they gave something away to the rival gang members. Tonight, was about negotiating territory which at the best of times could be difficult. If the Falcones noticed the tense atmosphere, it would be even harder to come to a compromise on the boundaries.

"I know that you know, but don't give it away. This will be hard enough without making the Falcones suspicious," the imposter stated not even looking up from the tablet. Zane saw several of the men try and relax. Zane just prayed it wouldn't break out into a fight because he didn't trust the imposter to be able to protect himself.

Zane thanked whichever deities were watching over them tonight because they somehow got through the deal without a fight breaking out. It was a near thing a couple of times, but the imposter was good with his words and was able to calm the Falcone head down. When the Falcone head had asked that the imposter remove his helmet, Zane almost had a heart attack. He exchanged tense glances with Joe before the imposter lifted his helmet.

Wherever Boss found this fake, he obviously made sure he looked a little like the boss. The imposter had on the boss's customary domino mask underneath. He also had Boss's dark hair, but the face was a bit more heart-shaped and had a sharper jaw line. Boss had a squarer face and jaw line. The Falcones, however, didn't notice anything suspicious, so the talks continued.

After the Falcones left, Zane rode in the car with the imposter back to HQ. He was pleased with how well the talks had gone. They had come out with a better deal than the Falcones, so hopefully Boss would be happy. This deal had been nearly six months in the making. It would have been two months ago if talks hadn't broken down. It had been a very bloody couple of weeks before talks started up again. With the Falcones off their backs, the gang would be able to spend less time controlling their borders.

The car pulled into HQ and the imposter quickly walked into the main entrance and up to Boss's office. Everyone turned to stare at the imposter because _no one_ went into Boss's office without permission and never without Boss being present. Even if someone wanted to break into the office, there was a key combination, password, and handprint scan. On top of that, there was rumor to be some type of booby trap that only Boss knew about. No way was the imposter getting into that office, not unless Boss was already in there.

To all the men's amazement, the imposter somehow got past it all. Zane could hardly believe his eyes as the imposter merely turned the door knob and walked in. The newbies looked surprise, but it was the people that had worked for Boss for a while that stared at each other dumbfounded.

Zane was just about to head upstairs to make sure the imposter didn't mess with or steal anything when he heard the sound of a familiar motorcycle. It sounded like the type Boss liked to use because it was just the right amount of stealth and badass. Because he could hear it that meant Boss was right outside the building. Again, thanking whichever deities were kind enough to give such blessings, Zane turned to see Red Hood, the real one this time.

"Boss! The deal went well. Hopefully your other business had a just as good conclusion," Zane greeted the boss. "The man you got to play yourself tonight is up in your office. He was somehow able to get pass the security systems you have. Would you like me to get him?" gesturing upstairs.

"No, I'll go see him myself," Boss said starting towards the staircase.

"No need, Hood. I'm just leaving. Please, refrain from asking anymore favors of me for at least a month. I do not appreciate being your stand in," a tight voice drifted from upstairs.

Zane looked up to see Nightwing at the top of the steps. The vigilante was tense with every muscle coiled and loosening in patterns as if he was trying to calm himself. That was not a good look to find on a person that was more than predisposed to kick his ass. Zane just wondered to himself how the boss gained such a favor from the vigilante and why he thought it was a good idea to have him impersonate Red Hood.

"I thought it was an older brother's prerogative to help out when a younger sibling is in need," Boss said, sarcasm evident even through the voice modulator. Zane about pissed himself from the unexpected information. He did not want a visit from a certain Bat because of knowing too much.

"That does not mean I have to like being a part of criminal activity. Next time you find yourself needing to be two places at once, plan ahead better or call someone else," Nightwing growled pushing pass Boss and heading toward the exit.

"Oh," Nightwing turned around, "I've already sent Agent A pictures of what you keep in the false bottom of the last draw, Hood. May God have mercy on your soul." With that last—confusing—parting shot, Nightwing left.

The silence that filled the void was disrupted by Boss's groan and a muttered, "Shit."

**A/N: Thank you for reading! As with before this is also posted on AO3. I have no idea how organized crime or negotiation and deals work so the story kind of skips over that. It probably wouldn't have been that fun to read either. **

**I asked this on AO3, but what do you think Jason has in the draw? I honestly didn't have anything in mind. I just wanted to add the line in.**

**As always, constructive criticism and comments are welcome. **


	3. A is for Awake

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this chapter; they all belong to their respective owners.**

Damian woke up slowly from his sleep. He laid in bed as the last vestiges of his dream left his mind. His body felt heavy. His mind had woken up before his body which was unusual. He tried to find what woke him up using his other senses, but he didn't hear or smell anything that might have caused him to stop dreaming. When he finally sat up, he noticed the red numbers of his alarm clock said he only slept for two hours. Knowing he wouldn't be able to fall asleep without something to drink, he walked downstairs to the kitchen to make himself some chamomile tea.

The hallway was dark as Damian opened his door. The window at the far end of the hall cast enough light from the moon that he could make out the shapes and lines of the paintings and stands in the hallway. There was a strong gust of wind that caused the house to shudder and settle into its foundations. It seemed that the weather was going to change again. They were in the season where the temperature was mercurial as was the precipitation. It made the nights out on the rooftops of Gotham miserable. As Damian came upon the kitchen he heard the murmur of talking with some laughter and a light in the kitchen.

"—completely serious, well as serious as a drunk can be," Damian heard Grayson say over the sound of muffled laughter. Peering through the doorway Damian saw Grayson and Todd sitting at the kitchen bar facing each other with mugs in front of them. Todd was bent over his drink snickering while Grayson looked like he was finishing wildly gesticulating.

"What's got you up, bratling?" Todd asked after he caught his breath. Grayson turned around and smiled widely at him despite the dark bags under his eyes. Todd looked marginally better, but he still had a weary set to his shoulders.

"Tt. Your obnoxious cackles could be heard throughout the house. I find myself surprised no one else has stormed down here demanding you cease," Damian retorted, studiously ignoring Todd's mutter of only little brats were asleep. Damian filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove to boil. The chamomile tea was high in the cabinet, so he jumped onto the counter to reach it.

"Master Damian, please get down from there. It is not proper to jump on kitchen counters. I am happy to help you get your tea," a mild voice said from behind him. Damian jumped down and turned to see Pennyworth, Father, and Cain in the doorway. Father and Cain still had wet hair, so they were just now coming upstairs from the cave. It was surprising to see Pennyworth still up because he usually was the first to wake up in the morning.

"Everything alright with the case?" Grayson asked while getting up to free a seat. He took his mug to the sink to wash it out.

"Yes, just making sure I got all the evidence and information gathered before closing the file on the computer," Father said while sitting in the spot Grayson vacated next to Todd while Cain nodded and opened the fridge to grab a snack. "I'm happy this case is closed. Maybe I can catch a few extra hours of sleep before the next crisis."

"Where's the Replacement? He's usually awake at this time," Todd asked looking towards the doorway. He had moved slightly away when Father sat down and seemed to be on the edge of getting up.

"Please don't call your brother that," Father sighed. Todd just rolled his eyes.

"Master Timothy went to bed shortly after coming home. He has an important meeting in the morning," Pennyworth replied placing a mug of tea in front of Damian and Father. He took Todd's empty mug to wash out in the sink before placing it in the dishwasher.

"How odd that Tim is asleep at four in the morning while the rest of us are awake," Dick mused looking slyly at Pennyworth's nonplussed expression.

"He needs the sleep," Father replied.

"We all need sleep," Cain said. She grabbed Todd by the arm and pulled him towards the doorway, completely ignoring his complaints about wanting to go to a safehouse.

"Miss Cassandra is correct," Pennyworth took the mugs of Damian and Father shooing them and Grayson upstairs.

"Goodnight Damian, Dick," Father said heading to his bed room.

"'Night, Bruce."

"Goodnight, Father."

"Do you need a bed time story read to you, Dami?" Grayson teased.

Damian just shot him a glare and closed his door slightly harder than necessary. He could hear Grayson's light laugh travel down the hallway. He checked his security before making certain his alarm for seven-thirty was still on. He climbed into bed and felt his exhaustion pulling at his eyelids. His body slowly relaxed into sleep.

Of course, this was all ruined by his alarm three hours later.

**A/N: As with the previous stories, this was posted on my AO3 before being posted here. And yes, Alfred did in fact drug Tim into sleeping. It seems like something he would do with no compunction.**

**Constructive criticism and comments are welcomed as always. **


	4. R is for Rumor

**Disclaimer: I have some OCs talking about other people's characters. These characters belong to their respective owners.**

It was a nighttime in Gotham. The frost was just starting to melt making everything wet and mushy. The temperature was just high enough at night to make sure nothing froze over but still bitterly cold enough that the homeless population of Gotham needed to beware of frostbite and hypothermia.

"So, does that mean we're wrong? I was set to get three blankets on that bet!" a voice was heard to exclaim in the night. A group of people were huddled around a fire in an alleyway. Their clothes were piled on in layers to protect them from the cold nights. Several were exchanging wagers and items of interest such as blankets, drugs, and food vouchers.

This was not an unexpected sight. Many of the homeless population tried to make life easier by trading and betting their things in order to get what they wanted and needed. If you had an excess of something, you tried to make life easier by trading your excess for something you didn't have. It was simple logic to most although there were a few hoarders that never gave anything up.

Tonight, the bets were centered around the ever-present vigilantes. It was difficult to get much information about them, but the Bats sometimes weren't paying as good of attention to their surroundings as they ought to and let some things slip. The homeless were very good at being unnoticeable when they wanted to be.

"Well, the Batman-y Robin is still around and the Batman-Batman has shown back up. I would say your theory of Batman being de-aged and Nightwing having to play the Batman to his Robin has been debunked," another person said. Seeing how the other was going to protest, they quickly said, "And Johnny down by the docks basically confirmed it." This was met with a grumble. The first person reached into a pocket and handed over three food vouchers and a rolled joint.

"Pleasure doing business."

That theory was a particularly outlandish one that was thought up by Crazy Mike, but there was some precedent in that Ricky and Jim had seen Batman de-aged by a sorcerer a couple of years ago. The Robin of the time had had to quickly scoop up the baby Batman and beat a hasty retreat.

"So has anyone confirmed that the Bat cheated on Catwoman with Joker?" asked the creator of the previous theory.

"For the last time, Mike, everyone knows that Joker and the Bat hate each other. They ain't banging!" exclaimed a bundle of rags opposite Mike.

"You never know! Their fighting could be just an elaborate bit of foreplay," Mike defended.

"That theory is even worse that the one floating around about Brucie Wayne being the Batman!"

**A/N: This is an updated version of the story that I posted on AO3. I did update it over there while leaving the original version as a second chapter, so if that interests you, you can see it over there. The fic is titled the same as the chapter and I have the same username, but with an underscore in between fiery and day.**

**I hope you liked it! Constructive criticism and comments are always welcome.**


	5. M is for Mantle

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fic. They belong to their respective owners. Also, very loose canon.**

The Robin mantle had seen many people under it. There would probably be more people in the future, but for now, there were currently five. The mantle had seen and been through countless situations that tested the resolve and ability of those who chose to wear Robin's colors. They all eventually left it. The children that took the name Robin all left for greater things, but they all added to what _Robin_ was just as Robin added to them.

Before Robin was _Robin_, the name had been synonymous with Richard "Dick" Grayson. The first—the creator—Dick, had been a happy and stubborn boy who had gown into a confidant and caring young man. He had shed the name of Robin when it became to entrenched in the Bat's shadow. Dick needed to find his own spotlight to stand in. Dick had also set the precedent of what Robin was. Robin was the light to Batman's dark. Robin was one of Batman's constants, always there when needed. Robin was Batman's partner, never sidekick. Robin may not be equal to Batman, but Batman listened to his ideas and contributions because they were a _team_.

The next to wear the mantle was Jason Todd. Jason may not have had the natural athleticism of the former Robin, but he was even more tenacious and enduring. Jason was a competent Robin who had so badly needed the mantle. Unfortunately, Jason felt Dick's shadow too much and tried to almost become like Dick's Robin. No matter how much Jason tried, he was not Dick. The mantle up to this point did not gain the knowledge that it didn't have to be a copy, but it became the hope and salvation for the children that needed it. Robin saved Jason from becoming just another statistic—just another victim—of Gotham and her cruelty. But Jason was also Robin's first major tragedy.

Tim was the one who showed the mantle that each Robin could forge a new path. Robin grew to be more cautious. Robin never took unnecessary risks and moves. His version of Robin focused more on being what Batman needed than his two predecessors, at least in the beginning. Robin grew to be more independent of Batman through Tim and something more than a name that followed "_Batman and"._ The first Robin showed this by forming and eventually leading the Teen Titans, but the third Robin made it obvious that the mantle could be separate from Batman without losing the Robin identity.

Stephanie was the one who lingered under the mantle the shortest. She was, unfortunately, not as prepared for Robin as her predecessors, but she stepped into the role when the vacancy became too much for Batman. Her actions as Robin showed just how much an impact Robin could have not just nationally or internationally, but also in Gotham. Robin was not just a child; Robin was a vigilante and superhero despite having no powers. Stephanie left too soon from the mantle, and in such a heart-breaking way. It felt much too like Jason's departure from the mantle.

Damian is the current Robin. The mantle handed to him by the first Robin when Dick became Batman. Robin again changed. Damian had more formal training and discipline than any of his predecessors. But Damian was learning. Damian was learning the child-like joy that the first Robin had in spades. He was learning how to care for and save those who needed help. He was learning how to become Robin. Damian's Robin had more darkness to shed before he became the light to Batman's dark, but it helped that, in the beginning, the Batman he partnered with was a lighter Batman.

**A/N: Thank you for reading. As with the others, this is also posted on AO3.**

**Constructive criticism and comments are always welcome.**


End file.
